Cupcakes for Breakfast? Yes Ma’am!

One of my favorite lunchbreak pastimes is to peruse Pinterest.com in search of recipe inspiration. While I (responsibly) chew my standard turkey sandwich, I scan the pinned recipes, sometimes laughing (seriously, must you add cake batter to EVERYTHING, people?!) and occasionally lusting after the featured treats.

Now I usually don’t cook ridiculous stuff, especially not early in the morning, and ESPECIALLY not if I’ve been “out on the town” the night before. But one Saturday morning I awoke to find my head a little fuzzy and my tummy in the mood for something more satisfying than yogurt and granola. Then I remembered a tasty little pin from Pinterest: Someone had put ham into muffin tins and cooked eggs in the ham cups. I figured even with a testy head, I could handle this. So off to Publix I dashed. Here’s how it went down…

I started by dicing my onion and potato, then got them sauteing in the skillet with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Honestly, you can skip this step (I did once, and they were fine) but I do love a breakfast potato. Cook until tender enough to eat, with a nice crust.

Mmmm...potato...

Speaking of crust, while you’re sauteing, it’s time to start your meat cups! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, spray your muffin tins with cooking spray, and stuff some meat in. I’ve done it regular deli ham and speck (which I think is basically American prosciutto). Just push it down to make a cup.

Mmm...meat cups...

Meanwhile, mix up your eggs. I recommend mixing them in something with a spout (I used my measuring cup) — it makes pouring easier. Combine eggs and milk, whisking well. Add salt and pepper, but salt mindfully, because depending on what meat you use, you could be in for a salt overload (which I did to my family last weekend!). Mix in some herbs (parsley or dill) or sauteed spinach (or even mushrooms!) and you’re good to go. Oh yeah, and cheese. Never forget the cheese!

Mmm...cheese...

Finally, it’s assembly time. If you weren’t too hungover and you did the potato-onion step, add a small spoonful to the bottom of each meat cup (about a tsp). Follow that by carefully filling each cup halfway with the egg mixture (it rises), then top with a dash of pepper and cheese.

Mmm...salmonella cups...

Me, fighting the urge to eat Salmonella Cups...

Then, all you do is pop ‘em in the oven for 15 minutes. That’s it! And here they are!

Mmm...hello delicious!

You would think they’d big ole mess, but they just pop right out! They are a super-cute and super-tasty way to start a Saturday morning. Plus, if you’re like me and have a husband who tends to sleep a little later than you on Saturday, these actually reheat decently (or at least better than scrambled eggs or waffles).

Check out Pinterest.com…there’s a lot of fun stuff — just stay away from the cake-battered chicken tenders, will you? ;)